Rachel battles back to find her talent is in rude health (From Warrington Guardian)

Rachel battles back to find her talent is in rude health

CORONATION Street favourite Bev Callard has turned an unknown mum into a pop idol after hosting an X Factor-style talent contest.

Bank cashier Rachel Holden, aged 22, beat more than 100 rock wannabes to win a competition at Bev's new pub - just weeks after battling back to full health following a brain tumour.

Now Bev, who plays Liz McDonald in the ITV1 soap, has arranged for Rachel to record a CD single as her first prize.

Rachel, who lives with her boyfriend Daniel Potts, 22, and their children Katie, three, Luke, two and 10-month-old Michael in Locking Stumps, said: "This is like a dream come true.

"Never did I honestly think I would win especially after the many months of worry we had over my health problems.

"I was in tears when Bev told me I had won the competition. I had auditioned for the X Factor before but the producers said I had not got what it takes.

"I took them at their word but obviously Bev and her friends thought differently."

Bev, 47, began organising the contest, called the Eccles Factor, last November just a week after taking over as landlady of the White Horse pub in Eccles, Greater Manchester.

She put up a banner outside the pub asking for contestants locally to take part but was stunned to get entries from as far away as Cornwall, Glasgow and Belfast.

Speaking of her brain tumour, Rachel added: "The doctors told me it had probably come about because I had my three children so close together in ages.

"It caused Daniel and I so much worry for the best part of seven months. Thankfully it wasn't life threatening but you just don't know how it might progress. You hear so many tragedies about brain tumours and the lives they claim."